New Zealand police defended delays in recovering bodies from the White Island volcano Wednesday, saying it would be "madness" to rush into a landing on the still-smouldering disaster zone, SIA reports referring to foreign press.
Monday's explosion at the popular tourist attraction off the North Island coast resulted in six deaths and authorities believe the remains of eight others listed as missing are still on the island.
A total of 47 day-trippers were on the island when the blast occurred, and many survivors suffered serious burns.
Police want to deploy drones to measure toxic gas levels in the island's atmosphere and determine whether it is safe to return, but windy conditions have so far prevented them from being flown.
With weather expected to deteriorate on Thursday pressure is building to start the recovery operation.
"We're assessing all factors every two or three hours to see if we can go," superintendent Bruce Bird told reporters.
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